Battle of Bound Brook

Background. After the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, Washington's Continental Army entered winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey, while British and German forces under Lieutenant General William Howe settled into New York City and northeastern New Jersey. The Bound Brook outpost, 1,000 strong under Benjamin Lincoln in February 1777, had shrunk to 500 by mid-March as militia enlistments expired.

The Commanders. Charles Cornwallis, a British Army officer promoted to lieutenant general in North America, began his 1776 service on that continent under General Sir Henry Clinton, and his division led the pursuit of the retreating George Washington across New Jersey after the fall of New York. Benjamin Lincoln, commissioned a Continental major general on February 14, 1777 on Washington's recommendation, had commanded a militia brigade sent to join Washington in September 1776.

Aftermath. Lincoln left the outpost quickly, abandoning papers and personal effects. In July 1777, Washington dispatched Lincoln north with Colonel Morgan and General Arnold to help defend upstate New York against Burgoyne's expedition from Quebec.